MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Chile denies any plans to work with FOGL in Falklands’ oil exploration

Chilean deputy Foreign Secretary Angel Flisfisch

Chile reaffirmed Thursday that the country’s oil corporation Enap has no plans or prospects of exploring for oil in the Malvinas Islands maritime territory or any form of association with Falkland Oil and Gas Limited.

“Enap has no hydrocarbons exploration or exploitation prospects or projects in the Malvinas Islands oil basin and maritime territory, or prospects of any form of association with Falkland Oil and Gas Limited”, said Angel Flisfisch, Chile’s Deputy Foreign Affairs Secretary.

The statement follows insistent press reports in Santiago de Chile and repeated in Argentina that FOGL had approached Enap and other Chilean oil industry companies with the purpose of tempting them to associate in the development of the promising oil deposits in Falklands’ waters.

The Chilean press revealed that FOGL top officials had visited Chile in recent months. Apparently Enap was targeted for its expertise and long experience with gas and oil in the extreme south of Chile in the Magallanes Region.

Deputy Secretary Flisfisch also ratified Chile’s position regarding the issue: unrestricted support for Argentina’s sovereign rights over the Malvinas, South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands as well as its surrounding maritime spaces.

Meanwhile Enap sources denied press reports and said the company holds talks and discussions with many of the world’s oil and gas companies of the world, but this does not mean at all any commitment with any of them.